WHEATLAND, CA (MPG) - The Yuba River Endowment board of directors unanimously voted to donate $11,000 to fund tower gardens for Wheatland Elementary school. Members of the newly formed Wheatland Elementary Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) shared details of the hands-on, indoor, classroom gardening opportunity at the Endowment’s recent meeting.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our Wheatland community, but our elementary school does not have the space to do an outdoor garden on campus,” said Wheatland Elementary PTC Secretary, Angela Waltz. “We love the idea of having these Tower Gardens that can be fully functional, maintained, and secure within the classrooms. Students will have the ability to experience how plants grow via a hands-on approach from seed to harvest.”

Using aeroponics, Tower Gardens grow plants with only water and nutrients rather than dirt. On average, aeroponic gardening grows three times faster than traditional gardening, with 30% greater yields. The Tower Garden has a vertical, compact design, that requires as little as 10% of the space and water as a traditional garden. The Tower Garden’s three-tier system is designed for planting items like herbs, mini sunflowers and strawberries in the top; nasturtiums, mustard greens and snap peas in the middle; and chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins and watermelons in the bottom.

The Endowment’s funding will cover the purchase of six Tower Gardens and lifetime curriculum access for the nearly 450 students of Wheatland Elementary’s six grade levels --- preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grades. The curriculum is grade and age specific, and includes over 30 lessons in literacy, math and science.

“Our motto for the Endowment is ‘Local Farmers Giving Back’,” said local farmer and Yuba River Endowment board member, Mike Filice. “We want to make sure agriculture stays strong in Yuba County for generations to come. Gardening from a young age is a great way to help our youth understand where food comes from and feel pride in eating what you grow. We can’t wait to see the gardens in action.”

The Yuba River Endowment is a non-profit organization created by Yuba County farmers from eight different irrigation districts, to benefit Yuba County residents. The farmers have a right to water that flows on the Yuba River. In some years these farmers are able to both farm their own land and transfer a portion of their water to drought-stricken areas of the state. A portion of the proceeds from these water transfers goes to the Endowment. Since formation in late 2019, the Endowment has donated over $600,000 to support Yuba County ag education, provide food resources, veteran’s support, scholarships and much more.

The Wheatland Elementary PTC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, composed of parent and teacher volunteers, working together to bridge the gap between the school’s budget and the scholastic enrichment students deserve. In it’s first year, the PTC held five fundraising activities. To learn more, email [email protected]

To learn more about the Yuba River Endowment, visit www.facebook.com/yubariverendowment.